


Never Again

by VulpesVulpes713



Series: A Collection of Klance [11]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Universe, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Laith, M/M, Voltron, bonding moment acknowleged, hallucinations are a bitch, klance, klance angst, klance fluff, poor keithy boy, those damn bom suits, vld
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-09
Updated: 2018-04-09
Packaged: 2019-04-20 16:11:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14264766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VulpesVulpes713/pseuds/VulpesVulpes713
Summary: He leaves, and Lance is alone in a dark room with Keith suspended in a pod above him, body fixing the injuries sustained from the crash. They’ll heal in no time; that’s how the pod works, leaving only faint scars as reminders.But as Lance sits, resting his chin on his knees as he stares unblinkingly up into the face of his friend, he wonders how thorough the hurt can be remedied.Physical wounds were one thing.Psychological ones were something else.





	Never Again

**Author's Note:**

> Something about those Blade of Marmora suits being able to amplify the wearers greatest fears has always been a rather unexplored topic...

 

It takes forever to find him.

 

The forest, darker than abandoned cellars and drenched in a fog thick enough to cut through, ensures that all who land there remain lost, never to be found again. 

 

Or so the locals had informed them upon landing on the planet, distress signal from the Blades informing them that Keith’s pod had gone offline, and his coms weren’t working. ‘A mission failure’, they had said, but they lacked the bodies to form a proper search, and had requested the aid of Voltron.

 

It had become the top priority, and they’d arrived at the location within the varga. After consulting with the inhabitants of the planet and learning the general direction the assumed ‘fallen star’ had taken, they’d split up in groups, taking the Lions to scout above for any sign of a wreckage. But the forest was thick and unruly, and infrared scans were nearly as useless as visual ones, so it had been with a resigned, albeit panicked acceptance that they’d gone on foot. 

 

Another varga of searching, and the fear was almost tangible. 

 

Not because the woods were frightening, which they were, but because every tick that went by was another tick subtracted from Keith’s clock. They had no idea where he was, what sort of state he was in, if he had even survi-

 

No. They couldn’t afford to think like that. They needed to remain calm and level-headed. Patience yields focus after all, though Shiro’s continued mumbling of the saying was doing little to ease their minds. 

 

Again, it takes forever to find him, but they do in the end.

 

Keith is hunched near a large rock, legs outstretched and head lolling to the side. His ship, a small cruiser used for scouting missions, is in shambles several feet away, which leads them to believe that he was either thrown from the wreckage or managed to drag himself to safety. 

 

Either way it’s not a pretty sight, and they’re about to run to him when a figure appears in the mist. 

 

Shiro’s arm lights up, but Allura motions for him to remain hidden as the stranger calls out. 

 

Only, it’s a voice they all recognize, one that has them all turning to stare back as Lance’s eyes grow wide with confusion.

 

Because that’s him, walking towards Keith. 

 

Except that it’s not, because Lance is hunched with the others in the vegetation, and the figure approaching their comrade is a good ways ahead. Still, no one can deny that it’s him that crouches before Keith, arms extending to pull him close.

 

Lance feels his mouth drop open as he watches; knows similar expressions are on the faces of his friends. Only Shiro is unreadable. 

 

“Keith, buddy,” the stranger,  _ Lance but not Lance, _ says, and no one dares breathe as they witness the exchange.

 

“No...no,” Keith whines quietly, sounding as if the fight has drained out of him. 

 

“Shh, it’s okay now. I’m here.” 

 

Not-Lance pulls Keith in for a hug, and they hear the hitch in Keith’s voice as tears run down his face.

 

“What is going on?” Pidge whispers fervently to Allura, but receives no reply. 

 

“Why is Lance-” Hunk begins, glancing from the stranger hugging Keith to the paladin at his side. “You are the real Lance right?”

 

“Course I am!” Lance hushes, pointing towards the scene before them. “That...whatever it is, isn’t wearing paladin armour. It’s not me.”

 

“But it looks and sounds like you,” Pidge mumbles, brows lowered as she frowns in concentration. “What is-”

 

Her question is cut off as the not-Lance pulls away abruptly, smirking wickedly as he stands over Keith. 

 

“Oh wait,” he says, hands going to hips. “You’re just the lone wolf. You don’t have anyone, never will. You’ll always be alone, just like you are now.”

 

He walks away, ignoring Keith’s outstretched hand and the sobs that slip past his lips. 

 

“No,  _ please-” _

 

“Everyone leaves you in the end anyway. You mother, you father, countless families who didn’t want you. Even the Garrison let you go eventually. You belong in isolation Keith.”

 

_ “Lance!”  _ the name rips through the air, causing all of them to gasp at its desperation. But the figure doesn’t stop, and Lance’s voice is used to deliver a final harsh farewell.

 

“Enjoy your solitude.”

 

It vanishes in the fog, and Keith crumbles forward, shoulders heaving as heavy tears roll down his cheeks. It’s heartbreaking to witness, and Lance can’t take it any longer. 

 

He stands, sprinting to Keith’s side as the others hurry after, and falls to his knees beside the boy. 

 

“Keith, Keith it’s me,” he tries, but is cut off by a loud groan of protest. 

 

“No, not again…” 

 

Shiro is there next, doing a once over of Keith’s condition with a practised proficiency. He’s steady as he instructs Hunk to find something large and sturdy enough to be used as a splint, stating Keith’s left leg is badly broken, before giving Pidge coordinates of their location to be sent to Coran. 

 

“We need immediate extraction. He can’t walk and the woods are too thick to carry him out.”

 

“Shiro-” Keith whines pitifully, hiding his face in his arms as more tears leak down his face. “Not you too. I can’t...I can’t do it anymore-”

 

“What’s he talking about?” Lance worries, turning to his leader as he bites his lower lip. “What was that thing? Why did it say those things? Why was it  _ me?!” _

 

“It’s his suit,” Shiro explains as Allura approaches next, searching the material of Keith’s armour with swift fingers. 

 

“His...what?” 

 

“I’ve seen it before,” he goes on, “back at the Blades base. There’s something in their suits that can manipulate what they see and hear. It was used to test him back then.”

 

“Wait, like hallucinations? Visions?” Lance demands, incredulous that something so outlandish would be considered for testing. 

 

“Not exactly, since we could see it as well. I’m not sure how it works…”

 

“I am,” Allura pipes up suddenly, tearing a large section of the collar of Keith’s suit, revealing an assortment of fine wires and dials.

 

“Woah, is that a circuit board?” Pidge exclaims as she glances over Shiro’s shoulder. “What the hell is that doing in a suit-”

 

She’s broken off as Allura curses loudly, standing as she fiddles with her coms. 

 

“To know that the Blades have been harnessing this technology, and for  _ training _ no less! Why Keith’s suit still has this installed is beyond me, not to mention why it’s still active. Wait until I get my hands on that insufferable K-”

 

“Could the crash have set it off?” Pidge asks as Hunk returns with a large piece of bark, handing it to Shiro. Allura doesn’t respond, instead making contact with Coran and barking several instructions in Altean that no one can understand. 

 

She sounds angry though, and Lance wonders what sorts of visions Keith had been experiencing, and for how long. He worries about how the version of himself projected by Keith’s suit came to be; if cold and distant and downright horrible is how Keith truly saw him. 

 

Shiro must sense what he’s thinking, as a hand lands on his shoulder and momentarily draws his attention away from Keith’s tears.

 

“It amplifies his greatest fears Lance. Makes them a thousand times worse than they are.”

Lance can’t hold his gaze, and turns back to the boy now shivering as he attempts to huddle in on himself further. 

 

_ His greatest fears… _

 

“Lance,” Shiro goes on, “it’s not your fault. That projection was something made-up, a fake. I know you would never do or say anything like that to him.”

 

“But does he?” he feels himself whisper, quietly enough that no one else hears. 

 

And from the way Keith is shaking, distraught and mumbling incoherently about ‘not being strong enough’ and ‘please make it stop’, Lance doubts it very much. After all, fears needed a root in order to grow. 

 

He wonders what he planted to make this one so cruel. 

 

All he can do is sit and watch as a splint is made for Keith’s leg; try not to cry out whenever he does. He hates how useless he feels; how he can’t provide comfort in any way because whenever Keith looks at him it’s with despair and grief. 

 

But it’s when the castleship is overhead, blowing leaves and foliage around with wild abandon as a pod is lowered to bring them all up, that Lance’s heart is truly shattered.

 

Keith’s eyes focus on him for the first time as he’s lifted, boring into him with an intensity that sends his goosebumps into hiding. His mouth opens as tears blur indigo eyes, and three words slip past his lips with a sorrow so profound it could almost be hate. 

 

“Just leave already.”

 

Lance falters, and Hunk picks up his slack as they take Keith away. 

 

“He doesn’t mean it,” Shiro reassures as they all stare at him in sympathy. “He’s delusional right now Lance. He’s seen so many versions of us that he likely has no idea what is real right now. It’ll be okay though. He doesn’t mean it.”

 

But as Keith slips from view into the awaiting pod, tendrils of mist attempting to follow, Lance can only stand in the resounding silence of the woods, dark and unforgiving as it is, and wonder how much faith he can put into those words. 

 

* * *

They get him into a healing pod as soon as possible, and after the preliminary scans it’s revealed that along with the broken leg, Keith also suffered several snapped rips, an array of gouges and cuts, and a concussion to boot. 

 

Coran recommends a day in the pod to be safe, and sets off attempting to calm Allura as she rattles on about the dangers of fear testing in Altean. Apparently it was a practise banned long ago under Alfor’s instruction, having been abused as a device for torture rather than training.

 

Pidge is forced to change the com locks in order to prevent the princess from verbally assaulting their allies in the Blades for using such techniques on their recruits. 

 

Hunk manages to calm her down with tea he may or may not have spiked. But it does the trick, and Allura retires to her chambers to collect herself in peace. 

 

Pidge hides away with the remains of Keith’s suit, wanting to learn more about the technology behind it, and it’s with Hunk’s insistence that they try to harness the ability of creating holograms to use for their Lions, which could prove helpful in future battles. 

 

It’s Shiro and Lance who remain in front of Keith’s pod, watching the tension in his face fade behind the eerie blue glow of glass as the minutes drag on. They don’t speak, for which Lance is grateful. His mind is doing enough talking of its own to compensate for the lack of conversation. 

 

He worries about Keith, for obvious reasons. But the longer he sits and stares, tapping idly at his kneecaps as he pulls his legs up to his chest, his concerns amplify. 

 

Why did the vision of himself behave so atrociously? Why did he pull Keith in, only to push him away again? And why had he spoken such harsh words? He didn’t feel that way at all!

 

But it was obvious that Keith did, at least to some extent. Otherwise the outcome would have been different. 

 

He must sigh loud enough for Shiro hear, as the next thing he knows a hand is patting his back reassuringly, and when he looks over the man is smiling wearily over at him.

 

“Lance, you can’t beat yourself up. It was a hologram. It wasn’t real.”

 

“It felt real,” he mumbles as he looks away, down at his feet. He can’t bring himself to meet Keith’s eyes, even if closed. 

 

“Would you say any of  those things to him in real life?”

 

“No, never,” he breathes without doubt, and the hand on his back retreats. 

 

“Then there you have it.” Shiro stands, stretching his back as he does. “Keith doesn’t see you in that way. He knows you would never do such a thing. You aren’t capable of it.” He smiles then, ruffling Lance’s hair fondly. “You’re a kind person Lance. Keith knows that. Don’t fall victim to visions born of warped fears, okay? And try to get some rest.”

 

“Where are you going?” he asks as Shiro turns to leave, more out of genuine curiosity than unease about being left alone with Keith. If anything, he’s actually hoping for the latter. 

 

“I’m going to try and contact Kolivan and let him know that Keith will be staying with us for the time being.”

 

“Oh,” Lance squeaks in surprise, clearing his throat before going on. “Staying? Like, for how long?” 

 

Shiro pauses, an odd smile lifting his lips as he shrugs casually. 

 

“For as long as it takes.”

 

He leaves, and Lance is alone in a dark room with Keith suspended in a pod above him, body fixing the injuries sustained from the crash. They’ll heal in no time; that’s how the pod works, leaving only faint scars as reminders. 

 

But as Lance sits, resting his chin on his knees as he stares unblinkingly up into the face of his friend, he wonders how thorough the hurt can be remedied.

 

Physical wounds were one thing.

 

Psychological ones were something else.

 

* * *

He’s woken by a rush of cool air and the creak of sliding glass, and stands just in time to catch Keith as he falls forward out of the pod, several hours earlier than expected. 

 

_ They really need to design a better mechanism for this, _ he thinks as he stumbles under the weight, but he keeps his footing. 

 

Keith is woozy, demonstrated by the way his hands find weak purchase on Lance’s lower arms, knees knocking together as more force is placed on a once fractured leg. 

 

“Easy buddy,” Lance murmurs, and all at once Keith tenses, body solidifying beneath his fingers faster than instant cement. Lance holds his breath, not having expected this reaction.

 

_ It’s because of that vision of me. Of course he would act this way. _

 

“Keith,” he tries, softer this time, and the boy’s head suddenly shoots up, brows lowering as indigo sweeps over his face, analysing, searching. Lance can only stare back as he sees a decision reached, and Keith’s head lowers in anguished acceptance. 

 

“Not again,” he whispers, attempting to step away. Lance lets him, hesitant as he is. But he can’t hold on if it’s not what Keith wants. “Please no-”

 

The boy stumbles as the grip loosens, nearly falling backwards into the pod, but Lance is quicker. He catches him before any further damage can be sustained, and tries to ignore the way Keith’s eyes squeeze shut in response to their close proximity.

 

“No-I can’t-”

 

“Keith please,” Lance begs gently, adjusting his arms so they hold him more comfortably, more securely, but it does little good. “It’s me... _ really me _ . I’m not-”

 

_ Not what? A vision? A hallucination? A monster you would rather avoid?  _

 

“I’m Lance.” 

 

Keith looks like he wants to believe it; brows twitching upwards in the middle as his lower lip trembles. A tear slides down his cheek, and Lance swiftly brushes it away. 

 

“You’re safe now-”

 

“No…any second now,” Keith moans, pushing against his chest once more as he shakes his head. Lance’s isn’t quite sure what he means, but it’s no use asking, much less convincing Keith he’s no longer in a dream. So with a subdued sigh he hoists Keith up in his arms, and carries him to his room. 

 

_ He needs proper rest. I’ll talk to Coran tomorrow about him possibly staying in the pod longer.  _

 

Keith’s protests are nearly as weak as he is as they walk, but once placed in his bed and tucked neatly beneath the covers, his mumbling dissolves into a single phrase. 

 

“He’s going to leave.”

 

And Lance thinks that it’s spoken with relief, as if the idea of his absence is more reassuring than his presence. It breaks the remaining fragments of his heart, and he’s about to turn and leave when a sniffle passes Keith’s lips. 

 

“He’s-he’s going to le-leave-” 

 

It’s broken, the sentence, and when Lance glances back he sees Keith curled up on his side facing the wall, shaking as tears flood down his cheeks and dampen the pillow beneath. 

 

“He’s going to-” he breaks off as a sob echoes loudly throughout the room; Keith working himself into hysterics. But when he speaks again the sentence has changed. A single word added that immediately changes the entire meaning.

 

“He’s going to leave me…”

 

His mind is made up, and Lance hurries back to the bed, sitting on the edge of it as he reaches over and gently touches Keith’s arm.

 

“Shh, Keith, I’m right here,” he soothes, or at least attempts to. His own voice is unstable with the threat of waterworks, and feeling Keith tense beneath his palm is not at all comforting. 

 

But he doesn’t pull away. 

 

“You’re not though,” Keith chokes, coughing as he ducks his head. “You’re not real. You’re just going to leave me alone, all alone...again. And again. I can’t watch you leave anymore…”

 

Lance inhales deeply, kicking off his shoes as he crawls fully onto the bed. He can’t leave Keith like this. Absolutely cannot. 

 

But he also can’t convince him he’s real if Keith refuses to look, to acknowledge, so he shifts until his back is towards the wall, settling down on the mattress and facing the heap of blankets that hides the boy.

 

“Keith,” he tries again, gently tugging the covers down. Keith’s eyes are firmly shut, breathing interrupted by intermittent whimpers, and Lance uses his fingers to brush the hair away from his face.

 

“It’s really me,” he murmurs, tracing his finger down along the curve of Keith’s jaw, using his thumb to wipe away the wetness. Keith’s expression relaxes somewhat, but he keeps his eyes closed. “I promise you, I’m real. No more visions.”

 

It takes a long moment for Keith to say anything in reply, in which Lance continues to draw patterns along his skin. It’s something his mother used to do whenever he was upset, and Lance tries his best to replicate the delicate touch as he maps the features of Keith’s face; trailing fingers over eyebrows and down along the slope of his nose. 

 

But when Keith does settle down enough to form a sentence without it being interrupted with teary hiccups, his question brings a halt to Lance’s movements, causing Keith’s eyes to finally open.

 

“How do I know you’re real?”

 

Lance is caught for a moment as he simply stares back into the watery depths of Keith’s eyes, unsure how to respond. 

 

If he could…

 

But he has to,  _ must _ , because Keith needs to know he’s legitimate; that he’s not made-up. He’s human and real and not like the mist on the planet where they found him, easily brushed aside to reveal nothing at all. 

 

So he lowers his hand to run down along Keith’s side, following the shape of his arm until it reaches his wrist, and then slowly, meticulously, twines their fingers together. 

 

“Because, Keith, when you fall asleep, I’ll be here. And in the morning when you wake up, I’ll still be here. I’m not going to leave you, alright? I’m not a vision, or a dream or a….a nightmare. I’m real. And…” he pauses, feeling a slight tug at the corner of his lips. “And I’m cradling you in my arms.”

 

For some reason that statement brings a new light to Keith’s eyes. He jolts up, frowning slightly as he stares down at Lance, as if realizing who he is for the first time. 

 

“You-” he breaks off, taking a quick breath before continuing. “You remember that?”

 

It almost makes Lance laugh, the genuine shock in Keith’s voice. But he can’t bring himself to do so; knows now that his denying of their first real bonding moment so long ago must have been the cause of all this doubt. 

 

He hadn’t been able to admit it back then; had been too frightened of what it would mean. But he was braver now. More sure of himself and his feelings. 

 

And it was about time Keith knew the truth.

 

“Of course I remember,” he confesses, but still Keith is hesitant to believe.

 

“But you said-”

 

“I know,” Lance cuts him off, sitting up himself so they’re eye level once more. “I was a coward, Keith. I didn’t know what to think or...I mean, I was scared and-” he halts his train of thought before it can spiral out of control, using his free hand to brush the hair behind Keith’s ears as he leans forward. “I’m sorry Keith. I truly am.”

 

Fresh tears gather in Keith’s ducts, but when they spill over it’s because of the smile that grows on his face, and all at once he falls into Lance’s chest, bringing his arms up to wrap around his neck. 

 

“You remember...It’s you-you’re really here,” he whispers, and Lance pulls him closer, rocking gently back and forth as he buries his face in Keith’s hair. 

 

“I am,” he murmurs softly, “and I’m not going anywhere, okay?” 

 

Keith nods against him, and together they settle back down on the bed, grips only loosening enough to allow more comfortable arm positions to be attained. 

 

“Go to sleep now, I’ll keep you safe,” he soothes as Keith nuzzles close. “I won’t disappear. I won’t let you go.”

 

And as Keith drifts off, breathing growing deep and even, Lance makes one last promise into the darkness before his own eyes fall shut; one he intends to keep no matter the obstacles in his way. 

 

“I’ll never let you go again.”

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> [my tumblr](https://www.vulpes--vulpes@tumblr.com)


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